Pokemon

For those of you who aren't familiar with Pokemon, they are Japanese anime characters with special powers. If you are so inclined, you can find out more about them from Wikipedia here. Because video games often require a lot of spatial awareness, of which I have very little, I'm not really familiar with the Pokemon franchise itself but I do know the point of a Pokemon game is to collect a certain number of pocket monsters who each have distinct special powers. Collecting a unique array of these Pokemon helps you complete a specific task.
My interest in Pokemon was piqued while watching an episode of 30 Rock. Jack is explaining to Liz that he is much happier divorced than he was married. He says he realized he was expecting too much of one woman; that there isn't one woman who has all the traits, characteristics, experience, etc. that he needs. Jack feels he is better off having a different woman for each of his distinct interests. He has a woman he takes to black tie events, a woman who is informed about politics, a woman he takes to visit his mother, a different woman to fulfill each of his unique needs. Of course, I disagree with this principle as it applies to romantic relationships, I am very happily married to one amazing man, but I agree with Jack when it comes to friendships. I'm realizing I was erroneously expecting to have all of my emotional, spiritual, intellectual and creative needs fulfilled from just a handful of people. I would actually get jealous when I heard of their escapades with other friends! I don't have other friends, why should they? Am I not enough? Well, the answer to that is yes, I'm not enough friend for any one person. Instead of expecting to be able to do everything that interests me with a select 4 or 5 people, I'm realizing I will be much happier if I Pokemon friends. Find a person who shares my interest in politics, find another who shares my affinity for reading, another who sews, one who blogs, one who enjoys Zumba, the possibilities are endless. This sounds so simplistic as I type it but it really has been a game changer in my relationships lately. In the past I have felt let down by people who weren't exactly like me in every way. Like I really could only be friends with myself and everyone else was a compromise. But I am now realizing that there are many facets of my life and it is very realistic and healthy to find and cultivate relationships with others who share a specific interest. She may not be a voracious reader like me but maybe she has an incredible green thumb. He might not want to watch educational documentaries on Netflix but he has great ideas about current events. How wonderfully unique and special each person is and what an opportunity I have in meeting more people to see what common interests or ideas we share and how I can learn from their experiences. I think the value in friendship is seeing a small part of yourself reflected back in another person. (Emphasis on small, there's no one else like me.)